# Support for Rails on Linux and the readline package

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/support-for-rails-on-linux-and-the-readline-package/125984>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [January 14, 2008, 1:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/support-for-rails-on-linux-and-the-readline-package/125984 "2008-01-14T13:15:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Onno\_van\_der\_Straat](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Onno\_van\_der\_Straat](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Onno_van_der_Straat)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 1:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/support-for-rails-on-linux-and-the-readline-package/125984/1 "2008-01-14T13:15:00Z")

</div>

Hi,  
I’m installing Rails on Linux and I want to share my experiences with  
it. I expected a smooth installation because the Rails experts often  
mention Linux as the preferred platform for Rails. I think it is true  
if there wasn’t the readline requirement. This package will allow to  
start the Rails console. Because of the requirement I think in fact  
many will experience that installing Rails on Linux also means  
searching the outer edges of the internet for the readline package and  
maybe having to compile the package themselves for a specific  
distribution. The fact that the readline package is default not in  
most Linux distributions implies that Rails should not depend on it?.

Already and only for three slightly different SuSE distributions I  
have spend countless hours searching for that package.  
Best Regards,  
Onno